Fricandó is a delicious Catalan beef stew. It's slow-cooked with mushrooms and includes the traditional Catalan picada (a puree of nuts, herbs, garlic, and wine). It is a staple of Catalan cuisine and quite a unique recipe. If you love beef stew with mushrooms, you'll love this dish!
Other mouthwatering stew recipes like rabo de toro and Spanish beef stew are worth saving for later, too!
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Introduction
I'd never heard of fricandó until last week when I arrived at culinary school and opened up my recipe for the day. But I was the exception; most of my Catalan peers had grown up eating this delicious beef stew with mushrooms. Every family has its own fricandó recipe, and even our teacher confessed that he makes his grandma's version at home!
But for the purpose of the class, we made fricandó the proper way, step by step. It's definitely one of the best beef stew recipes I have ever tried! Sometimes I find beef stew gloppy and stodgy, but this fricandó recipe has complex flavors and doesn't feel heavy at all! I promise that despite the many steps, it's pretty easy and no fuss.
Ingredients
Fricandó requires more ingredients than the typical Spanish recipe--but don't fear! Most of these ingredients are simple to find, and you might already have them in your pantry. Let's talk about the most important ingredients before you get started!
- Beef Shoulder or Knuckle: This part of the shoulder, called llata de ternera in Spain, is a very tough cut. But when treated with time and love, it becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender!
- Mushrooms: I use a combination of fresh and dried mushrooms in this recipe for lots of umami flavor. Use any fresh seasonal mushrooms you prefer.
- Diced Tomatoes: Petite diced tomatoes are the best choice, as they have a lovely texture in the finished stew. Buy the best quality tomatoes you can.
- Sherry: A touch of Spanish sherry is authentic and delicious, and adds a wonderful depth of flavor that beautifully complements the beef.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Fricandó
If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Clean and cut the meat into chunks, then toss it in salt, pepper, and flour until well coated. Shake off any excess. (image 1)
- Brown the meat on all sides in olive oil over medium-high heat. Reserve on a plate for later. (image 2)
- Hydrate the dried mushrooms by soaking them in water until ready to use later. (image 3)
- Sauté the onion and carrot in olive oil until softened, then add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. (image 4)
- Add the tomato paste and herbs and sauté for 1 minute. (image 5)
- Add the browned meat and any juices, then pour in the diced tomatoes, red wine, and sherry and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. (image 6)
- Add the beef stock and rehydrated mushrooms, making sure the meat is fully covered in liquid. Simmer covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (image 7)
- To make the picada, add all its ingredients to a blender and pulse until it turns into a smooth paste. (image 8)
- Add the picada to the stew a spoonful at a time until you've added enough for your taste. Sauté the fresh mushrooms and add them to the stew. (image 9)
- Serve the fricandó with rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, or roasted potatoes and enjoy! (image 10)
Recipe FAQs
Fricandó is a delicious Catalan beef stew. It's slow-cooked with mushrooms and includes the traditional Catalan picada (a puree of nuts, herbs, garlic, and wine).
Fricandó is a Catalan stew made from beef shoulder or knuckle simmered in a tomato-based sauce enriched with veggies, sherry, herbs, and a paste-like flavoring called picada. This is made from liquor, sherry, garlic, herbs, almonds, and chocolate.
Serve
Fricandó is the perfect hearty dinner on a cold day or anytime during the year. I especially love it served with rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, or roasted potatoes.
If you want to round out your meal with other Catalan favorites, whip up some spinach with pine nuts and raisins for a healthy side dish, and some crema catalana for dessert.
Expert Tips
- Slowly simmering the stew over low heat is what makes the beef melt-in-the-mouth tender. Don't skimp on the cooking time!
- The picada is optional, but adds a great flavor, so I highly recommend making it if you can!
More Delicious Spanish Stews
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Fricandó Recipe - Catalan Beef Stew
Ingredients
For the Stew
- 1 pound beef shoulder or rump/chuck roast
- all-purpose flour for coating
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ground pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil for frying
- ¼ cup dried mushrooms optional
- olive oil for sautéing
- 2 medium onions finely diced
- 2 medium carrots finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- herbs of choice such as bay leaf, thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram
- 1 cup petite diced tomatoes
- ½ cup red wine
- ⅓ cup dry sherry or port
- 5 cups beef stock
- ½ cup fresh mushrooms of your choice
For the Picada
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small handful fresh parsley
- 8-10 roasted almonds
- 3 tablespoons dry port or sherry such as oloroso
- 2 tablespoons sweet anisette liquor
- 5 grams dark chocolate a small chunk
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
Stew
- If using dried mushrooms, cover them with water to hydrate and set aside.
- Clean the meat of any nerves or tendons and cut into chunks. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then toss in flour and shake off any excess.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat, then add the meat and brown it on all sides. Reserve the meat on a plate for later.
- Sauté the onion and carrot in the same pot and oil until both are softened and golden. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and herbs, and sauté for about a minute.
- Add the meat to the veggies along with any juices that were released and cover with the diced tomatoes, red wine, and sherry or port. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
- Add the beef stock and rehydrated mushrooms, making sure the meat is fully covered. Cover the pot and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
- To make the picada, put all of its ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until it makes a smooth paste. Stir the picada into the stew, a spoonful at a time. Add to taste; some like only a little of the picada because of its strong flavor.
- Once the meat is tender and the stew is ready, sauté the fresh mushrooms in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.
- Add the sautéed mushrooms to the stew and heat through, then serve and enjoy! I love fricandó with a side of rice or mashed potatoes; pasta, roasted potatoes, or homemade french fries are great too!
Notes
- Slowly simmering the stew over low heat is what makes the beef melt-in-the-mouth tender. Don't skimp on the cooking time!
- The picada is optional, but adds a great flavor, so I highly recommend making it if you can!
Nutrition
Photography by Giulia Verdinelli
Monica
Chunks, no no no Fricando is slices always slices, carrots should be gratted, the rest of the recipe is fine
Rebecca Robinson
Hi Lauren, which anisette liqueur do you use please?
Many thanks
rene m briones
Thank you so much for the recipe, it was amazing i did from top to bottom on your instructions and came out perfecto!!! i used my homemade beef stock to enhance this dish.
Regards,
Rene & Karen Sarasota, Florida, USA
Lauren Aloise
So happy to hear you enjoyed!
Patty
I had fricando two weeks ago in Spain and am so excited to find this recipe! The waitress described it as Spanish comfort food , and it was!! Thanks for adding the other Catalan recipes too
Kimberly
I made this tonite and was delish! Thanks for sharing!
Lauren Aloise
So happy to hear it!